SubscriptionsColumn / Investigation: Crypto Politics
Dark money, lobbying, regulatory capture, state institutions hollowed by donor factions, foreign interference, and the financialisation of political power.
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Political Links to Firm that Prompted Greensill Demise
Sam Bright reports how a former Downing Street director of communications, a diplomat and an ex-First Minister of Wales all have ties to the company that worked in tandem with Greensill
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Putin’s Purges: A ‘Frontal Attack’ on Navalny and his Allies
Zarina Zabrisky catalogues the rising suppression and prosecution of Navalny’s relatives, opposition lawyers, activists and journalists across Russia in the last few weeks
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Lords Raise ‘Grave Concerns’ about Brexit’s Impact on Family Law, Crime and Justice
UK law enforcement can no longer immediately access real-time data about persons and objects of interest, including wanted and missing persons
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UK in Brexit Limbo with EU Disputes Resolution Bodies Still Not Set Up, Say Lords
Twenty-five committees and five study groups to cover almost every conceivable area of interest between the EU and UK have still not been established
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David Cameron: Johnson’s Convenient Scapegoat
With his dual tactics of projection and deflection, the current Prime Minister has pulled off a masterstroke by launching an inquiry into the former Prime Minister’s conflicts of interest, says Hardeep Matharu
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Special Investigation: ‘Mind Boggling’– US Experts Speak Out Against Appointment of New UK Government Counter-Extremism Chief
Robin Simcox’s connections to anti-Muslim conspiracy theories raise concerns across the Atlantic
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New Government Counter-Extremism Chief’s Ties to Pro-Trump Hate Groups
Nafeez Ahmed reports on the alarm bells raised by the appointment of Robin Simcox as the Lead Commissioner on Countering Extremism
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Conflict of Interest Concerns Over £15 Million COVID Contract
A new Government deal raises further questions about the Government’s approach to conflict of interest transparency
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‘We’re Living in a Bizarre Fantasy World’: Alastair Campbell on Boris Johnson, Brexit and Labour
The former Downing Street communications chief is incensed about the state of politics and the media
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Mainstream Conservatism and Far-Right Extremism – An Increasingly ‘Blurred Distinction’
The Council of Europe’s European Conservatives and Democratic Alliance brings together UK Conservative MPs with neo-fascist politicians, Sian Norris reports
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Dido Harding Hands More Power to Local Health Teams in NHS Test and Trace Trial
After months of pressure, more responsibility has been handed to local contact tracers, reports Sam Bright
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We Don’t Just Need a COVID Inquiry – We Need a Proper, Independent COVID Inquiry
The Johnson Government will go to extreme lengths to avoid scrutiny of its record, says Brian Cathcart. We must not settle for a sham
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Is War Between Russia and Ukraine Just a Matter of Time?
Nikola Mikovic analyses the military build-up in Eastern Ukraine as tensions mount again between Kyiv and Moscow
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Mapping the Pandemic: £2 Billion in Contracts Awarded to Conservative Associates
Pulling together a year of evidence, Byline Times and The Citizens can reveal that deals worth billions have been awarded to top Conservative Party associates during the Coronavirus crisis
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Mapping the Pandemic: £1 Billion in Contracts Awarded to Conservative Donors
One year after the first COVID-19 lockdown, Byline Times and The Citizens can reveal that almost a billion pounds in Government contracts has been awarded to 15 firms that are linked to millions of pounds of Conservative donations
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A Dry Run for Brexit: The 2011 Alternative Vote Referendum Ten Years On
Richard Robinson revisits the propaganda and personnel which heavily prefigured the Vote Leave campaign and all that has followed
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The Storming of the Capitol – Part Three: From 9/11 to Insurrection
In the third part of his analysis of the forces leading up to the violence on the 6 January, Anthony Barnett traces the dual revolutions on the right, and now on the left
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The Slippery Slope Towards an Unfree Press – Lessons from Hungary and Poland
In Hungary and Poland, journalists and commentators are losing their jobs for criticising the Government – while in the UK Boris Johnson wants the BBC to ‘move into line’ When Boris Johnson spoke to the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs on the one year anniversary of lockdown, it may have come as a surprise that…
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‘Influence Without Power’: How Management Consultants had a Very Profitable Pandemic
As news emerges that the Test and Trace programme budgeted for £438 million to be spent on management consultants, Matthew Gwyther delves into the inner workings of the industry
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Conservative Lord’s £100 Million Link to Private Government Contractor
The Tory peer and senior Cabinet Office official appears to have benefitted financially from a firm that has won millions in public sector contracts
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Reform Without Funding?: Renewed Concerns Over Children’s Social Care Review
The Department for Education has made it clear that the head of the review will face funding constraints and operate under the watchful gaze of Government officials, reports Sam Bright
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Conservative Donor’s Firm Surpasses £200 Million in COVID-19 Contracts
The company has won two more contracts worth £46.1 million, Sam Bright reports
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New £14.4 Million Government Contract Awarded to Firm Owned by Conservative Donor
The company owner has donated more than £2.5 million to the Tory Party in recent years
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A Selection of Misleading Statements Made by Boris Johnson and Ministers on the Floor of the House of Commons: July 2019 – December 2020
A selected list of misleading statements that Peter Oborne has sent to the Speaker of the House of Commons
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Several Years’ Worth of Expensive PPE Purchased by Government, New Stats Show
Paying inflated rates to companies without competition, Matt Hancock bought a vast excess of equipment, official records reveal
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IWD 2021: Internet Now ‘Most Dangerous Place’ to be a Woman Journalist
A new study by Reporters Without Borders exposes the dangers faced by women journalists online and off
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‘Our Worst Fears Coming True’: Hungary’s Assault on Free Press Continues
The suspension of Klubrádió’s broadcasting license means one fewer independent voice in a media landscape fuelling prejudice and discrimination against marginalised communities, reports Stephen Delahunty
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Owner of Firm Awarded £275 Million in COVID Contracts Makes Donation to Conservatives
The owner of a medical company that won huge PPE contacts has donated to Boris Johnson’s party
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New £19 Million COVID Contract Awarded to Conservative Donor
Firms which have donated money to the governing party have now been awarded COVID-19 deals worth £900 million, though the latest firm denies any political interference
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Company Owner Featured in Government Brexit Newspaper Campaign Charged With Fraud
One of the business owners featured in the advertising drive is fighting charges of embezzlement, fraud and theft
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How the Pandemic Helped Africa’s Longest Dynasty to Tighten its Grip on Power
Natasha Livingstone explains how a combination of state support and repression during the COVID crisis has bolstered Togo’s 54-year dynasty
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Putin’s War: Money, Ideology, Troll Farms and TV Stations
Zarina Zabrisky talks to Russian cyber warfare and security experts Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan about the Kremlin’s evolving information warfare
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The Network: The American and Russian Moralists Behind the January Insurrection
Heidi Siegmund Cuda talks to network disinformation specialist Dave Troy about how a trifecta of Conservative, Russian and military psyops tried to overturn global democracy
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Johnson’s Culture Wars Hide the Real Security Problems
In the appointment of David Frost to oversee the consequences of Brexit, Mike Buckley sees little evidence that the Prime Minister can hold his winning ‘Get Brexit Done’ coalition together
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Hancock’s PPE Legacy: ‘Mad Scramble’ Left Supplies Stranded at Ports and Air Sites
Sam Bright and Katie Tarrant unmask the Health and Social Care Secretary’s baseless claims about PPE procurement
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Alt-Right Ecosystem: Steve Bannon Tried to Buy Guido Fawkes
Sam Bright reports on how the former Trump campaign chief made a bid for the controversial pro-Brexit blog
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‘Benefiting NHS Patients or Big Tech?’: Matt Hancock Faces New Legal Challenge Over NHS Palantir Contract
David Hencke reports on a judicial review of the US tech giant’s controversial deal involving personal medical data
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Government Pays Firm £4.3 Million One Month Before Appointing its Founder to Education Role
Gavin Williamson’s department is paying millions to a company founded by the chair of a Government social care review
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The Dangers of Disaster Apathy: Why Matt Hancock Should Resign
From crony contracts to Test and Trace turmoil, the Health and Social Care Secretary has been at the epicentre of Government incompetence during the Coronavirus pandemic, says Sam Bright
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Australia’s War on Big Tech is a Fight for Good Journalism
CJ Werleman dissects Facebook’s ban on Australian news content and its implications for democracy
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Cummings’ Claims About Media Spin Contradicted by Official Records
The Prime Minister’s former chief aide has been attempting to defend his role in COVID contracts, yet at least one of his claims doesn’t stand up to scrutiny, reports Sam Bright
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‘Free speech’ Czar Role linked to Toby Young’s Free Speech Union and US Right-Wing Funding Network
Nafeez Ahmed’s investigation reveals that the Government’s new proposal is inspired by attempts to suppress free speech about racism
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Only 29% of People in UK have a ‘Positive Attitude’ Towards Muslims
Sian Norris reports on a new study by anti-racist groups assessing the anti-minority views of people across Europe
